


Valentines’ Bakery

by jaeyongficfest, valentinypeach



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Bakery, Falling In Love, Fluff, Jaehyun Muse, Lazy Afternoon Sex, M/M, Paris (City), Roommates, Taeyong Artist, loads of flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:34:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26829694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaeyongficfest/pseuds/jaeyongficfest, https://archiveofourown.org/users/valentinypeach/pseuds/valentinypeach
Summary: Where Taeyong moves to Paris on a whim to become an artist and gets saved by a certainly cute baker, when the apartment he had lined up for falls through.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 11
Kudos: 197





	Valentines’ Bakery

**Author's Note:**

> recommending this playlist while reading! <3
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6hC2tVHWG0mfj6k3bXyCjm?si=lV0PrisCQ5GML16ocRzeag

It was pouring rain outside and still the streets of Paris weren’t empty. There were people rushing around, on their way to their next appointment or on their way home. Taeyong was cursing his luck, his jacket was drenched from the thick drops that were falling from the sky and he was dragging his suitcase behind him through one puddle after the next.

Taeyong tried to blink the water from his lashes away, as he looked around for shelter.

He heaved up his luggage two steps to the entrance of a little shop. Behind the window of the white door was warm light shining, pouring from the inside onto the sidewalk, the only welcoming place he could spot in the miserable weather around him. 

He threw the door open, which gained him a few looks from the customers inside. But in his state, Taeyong couldn’t care less. He shortly looked around, shivering a little from the sudden change of temperature. 

The store he had entered was warm and he sighed relieved as the warmth creeped up his back. His blonde hair was sticking to his forehead in wet strands and the first thing he realized was the smell of fresh coffee and sweet bread.

The place wasn’t huge, but it was stretched to the right of him. 

To his left there were a few tables and chairs standing in front of two tall windows.

To his right was a long counter stretched along the wall, further into the back of the room. At the end of that counter was a short flight of stairs up into the other part of the store. Up there in the back were armchairs grouped around small coffee tables. The wooden floor complimented the bluish grey side of the counter. The walls were either made of bare brick or white wood, most of those wood parts had built-in shelves, that were filled with books, flowers and glasses filled with grounded coffee and candy.

Lastly Taeyong noticed the displays along the counter and the second he took in the content, his mood suddenly lifted a bit. There were rows and rows of golden brown baked goods, shining deliciously in the warm light, most of them stored in cake domes. Croissants, brioches, eclairs, macarons, soft chocolate chips cookies, sweet rolls filled with chocolate, custard tarts, blueberry muffins, madeleines, cinnamon rolls and cakes. So many cakes. 

Some were plain apple pies or tarts, but some were taller, one fanciful decorated with a thick layer of chocolate and edible glitter, another one topped with cream, strawberries and roasted almonds. 

Taeyong’s mouth started watering and he almost drooled over all the sweets in front of him. 

Once again he realized how hungry he was.   
  
He nearly forgot his suitcase as he stepped closer to the counter, almost in trance, with his tunnel vision on the food.    
The boy behind the register smiled at him, his tanned skin glowing. There were a few moles on his face and his eyes glimmered as he watched Taeyong gazing at the displays.    
"Hello and welcome to  _ Valentines _ ’  _ Bakery _ , may I take your order?", he sing-songed and gave his new customer a wide smile.

  
  
  


5 Minutes later Taeyong slumped down on one of the chairs by the window. He had ordered what felt like half the goods from the counter and he had also almost ordered a black coffee, thinking it would’ve been fitting for his mood, but then he didn’t push through. Coffee without milk or sugar…he again was shaken with disgust at the bare thought of it. 

The store was busy, Taeyong hadn’t been the only person looking for shelter from the rain. There were a bunch of voices flowing around the room, but eventually with the slow music playing from the speakers, they all turned into one loud humming in Taeyong’s ears. 

He stared out of the window, stared at the rain and suddenly he felt like crying, just like the sky did right now. All his thoughts were just a big mess.

Tae buried his head in his hands, his fingers were getting caught in his blond hair as he ruffled through it.

He pulled out his phone with his right hand, while his left hand remained clutched to his face. 

He slowly typed in his best friends’ number and with the speed of a sloth he raised the phone to his ear. He had no energy left, all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep, but he couldn’t even do that, because he had no bed in this cursed city.

At that moment someone stepped to his table, bringing his order, but Taeyong didn’t even bat an eye to the person who was placing his coffee on the table, he was too exhausted. He nuzzled his face against his hand and when his best friend finally picked up, he mumbled: "I’m so fucked, Ten" as a greeting. 

_ "Woha, that doesn’t sound good. Nothing new since we last talked at dinner?" _ answered Ten’s voice through the speaker. 

"No, I don’t know what to do. The landlord is just straight up ignoring my calls now. I looked online, but as expected there is no apartment magically ready for me to move in to today. Surprise!", Taeyong’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I don’t know where to sleep and I can’t even just come back home, because I refuse to accepted that my plan is about to fail like this. I’m not just gonna give this up again. My pride is absolutely not having that", Taeyong groaned. 

When he turned to reach for his coffee he suddenly felt the presence of a person next to him. The waiter who had brought him his food was still standing there. 

Taeyong threw him a glance, wanting to say: Uhm excuse me? Can I do anything for you?

But he didn’t expect the man to look like THAT. He was stunning, his cheeks glowing and his brown hair looking fluffy.

And his eyes…his eyes that were curiously watching him were glimmering in a dark, warm brown. It was the colour of melted chocolate or maybe the colour of coffee with a dash of milk. 

He wasn’t even trying to hide that he was observing Taeyong.

Tae grabbed his phone a little tighter, coughed and watched the waiter with expecting eyes, waiting for a question or something.

When the man met Taeyongs’ eyes, his lips curled into a small smile. But before Tae could say something, the waiter turned around and left his table.

"French people are weird", Tae said as he turned his attention back to his phone call.

_ "Why that suddenly?" _

"This waiter in this cafe I’m sitting in right now just came to bring my order and then he just starred" Taeyong pushed one of the macrons he ordered on its plate around from left to right.

_ "Was he at least hot?" _

He snickered at his best friends’ question: "Oh damn yes. As weird as they are, hot are the French for sure." He threw a look over his shoulder and instantly met a pair of beautiful brown eyes.

Quickly Taeyong turned his head back around. "He’s still looking at me”, Tae whispered in his phone.

_ "Go get yourself a one night stand, so you at least have a place to sleep tonight" _ , Ten suggested.

"Don’t be weird, Ten."

_ "Just saying. As far as I can tell, that’s you best option" _ , the man chirped on the other end,

_ "Or a hotel room or a hostel or something" _ , he added.

"I swear every hotel where I tried to get a room, was fully booked. Maybe I’m gonna sleep on the streets tonight", Taeyong thought out loud, self-pitying his situation "also, he doesn’t look like the type to have a one night stand. He looks like the type who would take you home to meet his parents and then marry you."

  
  
  


An hour later the rain stopped. The streets were glistening from the water and the sky was still cloudy. Taeyong sighed and took that as a sign for him to finally leave this place. During his phone call and even after he had hung up, he caught the waiter’s eyes on him a few times. Once Taeyong even smiled a small shy smile at him.

Now he rose to his feet, pulling his suitcase to the counter. His plan was to grab one last piece for later on his way out. 

He was met with the now familiar waiter and the boy who had taken his order earlier. They were discussing something, but as soon as the waiter saw Taeyong he stepped to the register: "Can I help you?" 

His voice was pleasantly deep and it instantly pinned a smile on Taeyong’s face:

"I’ll take one more of the croissants to go."

The man returned his smile as he put one of the baking goods in a bag and that was the first time Taeyong noticed the deep dimples on the others face. His heart skipped a beat.

How stunning he was with the white t-shirt underneath the dark gray apron and his gaze focusing just a little too long on Taeyong.

The blonde one could feel tingles in his stomach and tried his best to not let his face show how affected he was by the other.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?", the angel, sent from god himself, asked Taeyong.

Tae thought asking a local wouldn’t hurt, maybe he had a good tip. So he sighed: "Only if you know a place where I can sleep for the next few nights."

When the beautiful guy looked at him questioningly, he added: "I thought I had an apartment waiting for me, but it fell through and now I’m kinda lost. Lost in Paris, in the rain." Taeyong smiled a crooked smile.

The waiter paused for a moment, his mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but before he could do so, a figure jumped to his side, the boy from earlier. He first looked at his colleague, before he whipped his head around: "Actually, Jaehyun here", he slapped his hand on the man’s shoulder "Is currently looking for a roommate for his apartment." The waiter - Jaehyun apparently - threw the boy beside him a glance and Taeyong stammered: "O-oh really?" He didn’t expect this at all. 

"Yeah really" the boy smiled a sickly-sweet smile "What a weird coincidence, huh? I’m Donghyuck by the way"

_ Why do I get the feeling he _ ’ _ s up to no good _ , Taeyong thought as he looked at Donghyuck’s weirdly bright smile. 

"I mean, yeah he’s right, I do. Apparently, I do, uhm" Jaehyun spluttered, now knocked off track. 

He glanced at the watch on his wrist: "If you could wait about 45 minutes more I can take you to the apartment to look at it and you can decide if you are interested after?"

"I mean…doesn’t sound too bad. I guess it’s my best option right now", Taeyong scratched his arm. He was too overwhelmed with the sudden situation to turn the offer down. Also, it was the truth. It was his best option.

"Then…I’m just gonna go back to my table and wait. I’m Taeyong by the way", he hesitated for a moment and then pulled his suitcase back to the table where he was sitting before.

And so, Taeyong waited. He quickly called Ten to update him about the newest events. His best friend told him to send him the location of the apartment once he got there, just in case. It wasn’t like Ten would be able to help in any way, since he was hours away. Ten also told him to be careful and then he had to hang up, because it was already late back home. So Taeyong pulled out his sketchbook and his pencils and spent the next half an hour sketching the bakery on his paper. 

From time to time he met Jaehyun’s eyes, who was looking at him as if he wanted to make sure he was still there. He once came by and complimented the drawing and brought Taeyong a few macarons.

The sudden act of kindness was probably an attempt of rapprochement and it worked. Maybe it was Taeyong’s weakness for food, but when Jaehyun looked over to him while taking off his apron, he jumped to his feet with a smile.

"Hyuck, close a little earlier today, okay?", Jaehyun ordered his coworker and stepped out from behind the counter.

The tall man walked towards Taeyong: "Okay, let’s get going."

When they stepped out into the street, the first thing Taeyong asked: "Can you just leave like that? Won’t your boss get mad?"

Jaehyun shook his head amused: "No" he gave Taeyong a side look, "I’m the boss. So don’t worry about that." 

"Oh, I didn’t know", was all Taeyong could reply.

So not a handsome waiter, but a handsome bakery owner.

A 20 minute walk later they had arrived at their destination. The first awkward silence hat turned into a lively chatting on the way and both of them seemed relieved about it.

By now Jaehyun knew that Taeyong had started studying medicine, but had dropped out to chase his real dream of becoming an artist - and what better place to pursue that dream than Paris.

Taeyong learned, that Jaehyun had taken over the bakery from his grandmother and after a few renovations it had turned into the place it was today. 

"You bake all of the goods that you sell yourself?" Taeyongs mouth was hanging open, as Jaehyun unlocked the door to the said apartment. 

They were on the 4th floor of an old Parisian building, the hallway decorated with stucco, walls painted white and the curved banister made out of black iron. 

The brown-haired man chuckled: "Almost all of the goods, yeah."

"Holy crap, you need to teach me how to make macarons! I really wanna be able to make them myself", Taeyong requested while he followed the other through the door.

Then he hesitated: "Wait a second". His eyes wandered. 

The room opened wide and bright in front of him, the ceiling’s were high and the walls were mainly bare brick walls. 

It was flooded with light from two big windows, an arched one straight ahead and a giant square one to the left. Straight ahead were a few steps, that led up to a platform in the right corner of the room, maybe a meter and a half tall. Up there was a mattress lying on the floor, right underneath the arched window, that reached down to the floor there, so one could easily lay up there and watch out of it.

On the left, in the back of the room, next to the platform, was a little area where the second window was located, with a carpet, low bookshelves, a couch, two armchairs and a tv. 

That living room situation transitioned into an open kitchen, that went along the left wall up until to where the two men were standing at the doorway right now. 

The only other door Taeyong could see was on their right and he guessed out of instinct, that that door led into a bathroom and not into a second bedroom. 

"Yeaaaaah, it’s a studio apartment", Jaehyun scratched the back of his head.

"I— Jaehyun…where am I supposed to sleep? What were you thinking when you started looking for a roommate?", Taeyong asked flabbergasted.

By the look Jaehyun gave him he almost expected him to answer something along the lines of:  _ Oh, we can share my bed _ and that gave him a little shiver, because he would be willing to do that. He would share a bed with this beautiful man he only knew since today.

That man now shrugged his shoulders: "Uhm, I don’t know, but I think we can manage this. You can have the couch for as long as you want or you can get yourself a bed and hang up curtains too, as long as you don’t mind sharing the open apartment with me."

Taeyong could hear his friends Doyoung’s voice in his head, who was always a bit more skeptical and careful and who had told him earlier, that he would not fly over to France, if Taeyong managed to get himself into trouble with this.

But with Jaehyun in front of him, who had his eyes locked with him,  _ something _ swirling his eyes, he pushed the voice in his head away. 

Taeyong could feel his head move up and down and before he knew it, he was nodding. Living in pretty Jaehyun’s cozy apartment? Yes, please.

  
  
  


When evening settled in, Taeyong had unpacked some of the pieces in his suitcase and Jaehyun had whipped out a cover and a pillow for him and had made the couch ready for his new roommate.

He also had given Taeyong a little tour of the whole apartment and the blonde one had fallen in love with the view from the big arched window the second he saw it.

"How long do you live here already?", Taeyong, who had crawled up, to where Jaehyun's bed was, turned around. From up there he had looked out of the window, watching the sun set and the life on the street down below flood by.

"Only two years. My friend Johnny owns an apartment agency, he helped me get this place", Jaehyun hummed.

"How much is rent? We can split it, right?" Taeyong now stepped down from the plateau and went over to the other man.

Jaehyun stood in the kitchen, a knife in his hand as he was chopping some peppers, now he looked up: "Ah about that…"

Putting down the knife he grabbed a piece of paper, on which he scribbled down something. 

When he was done, he handed the paper to Taeyong. Before Tae could read it he heard Jaehyun say: "I’m gonna be right back, I quickly need to get milk from the store. It’s not gonna take long." 

Jaehyun left so quickly, Taeyong had barely time to react. The door fell shut and suddenly Tae was alone. Confused he stared at the wooden door for a moment, before he concentrated his attention on the paper Jae had handed him. 

He prepared for a high amount of money, the apartment had to be expensive with its location and the size and he wasn’t entirely sure how he would pay for it yet. Maybe he could help out at the bakery or find another job. But the number in the bottom right corner was ridiculously low. He squinted irritated and read the rest of what Jaehyun had listed. It all was what seemed like normal living expenses for the apartment, all kinda expensive like Taeyong had expected.

But then he saw something and suddenly his whole face was heating up. 

The second to last row said:  _ Discount bc you are cute: -80% _

He gasped for air. 80% was so much.

And…had Jaehyun just flirted with him through a rent bill? 

No wonder he had run so fast out of the door.

Taeyong couldn’t hold back the giggle that formed in him. He felt like he was sixteen again.

  
  


When Jaehyun returned 10 minutes later, he found Taeyong in the kitchen, where he had continued cooking alone. 

Tae lost not one word about the discount thing, he didn’t know what to say. So he just grinned: "I thought I could help you with this."

"Love that", Jaehyun coughed and then joined the smaller one to make their dinner. 

"By the way, I called my friends and told them that I’m now living here and they said I should tell you: if you plan on kidnapping me or something, that they know where you live and they know about your bakery and they will find you. But if you are really just a super nice guy, then I should tell you, that they love you and that they will cherish you forever as my saviour because, quote:  _ Taeyong, your dumb ass probably would _ ’ _ ve died otherwise. _ ", Taeyong laughed and earned himself a nudge from the brown-haired man. "You know I don’t have bad intentions", Jaehyun glanced at him, as he picked the knife back up, that he had left behind earlier. 

"Okay, man with the weapon", Taeyong joked and then hesitated. "Wait, where is the milk? You wanted to get milk", he looked around confused. 

"Ohhhh, I forgot about that", Jaehyun mumbled and was suddenly oddly deeply concentrated on the vegetables in front of him, his ears flushing very red.

Because the truth was, he did indeed go to the store. But then he got so distracted with hating himself for writing something so cheesy like "discount bc you are cute", that he walked out of the store without buying anything.

Flirting was good, but never easy, if you watch too many romcoms like Jaehyun, because you start underestimating how corny some things can get in real life.

Lucky for him Taeyong liked corny.

  
  
  


They had dinner together that evening. From time to time silence settled in and both of them were lost on what to say next. It was still a bit awkward between them, as it usually would be between two people who just got to know each other. 

Jaehyun went to bed early, explaining how he had to get up with sunrise to go to the bakery. "Don’t worry, I won’t wake you up tomorrow", Jaehyun promised as he went up to his bed. 

Taeyong was lying awake for about another hour, he was mindlessly scrolling through his phone. From his place on the couch he couldn’t see Jaehyun’s bed, a high shelf divided the sleeping area from the living room, but he could hear him. Little soft snores, but not too loud so they wouldn’t keep him from sleeping.

And all of a sudden Taeyong felt so unbelievably grateful to this man, who let him sleep and live here so suddenly. Maybe he should’ve been more cautious with following a stranger to his apartment, but Taeyong believed in the good in people and he already felt like Jaehyun had a heart of gold.

  
  
  


When Taeyong woke up the next morning, he found a note in the kitchen:  _ Good morning, come visit me in the bakery for breakfast :) _

Breakfast. Taeyong’s mouth started watering and his stomach grumbled. 

It was already 10 in the morning but he still took his time to walk around the apartment and look around for a bit, always careful not to nose around in Jaehyun’s belongings. All he wanted was to experience the place, get a feel for it.

He sat in the sun, that was shining in through the living room window, for a few minutes. Taeyong felt like he could fall asleep right away again on the carpet where he was sitting in the warm light, which made him so drowsy. But before that could happen he got up with a big yawn and forced himself out of his pyjamas and into proper clothing. He pulled out a matching bag from his suitcase and then made his way down the staircase and out into the streets of Paris.

  
  
  


He almost got lost on his way to the bakery, his orientation not being the best. Taeyong enjoyed his walk a lot though. He loved the beautiful streets around the area and the air was clear and fresh after yesterday’s rain.

After a while he found the bakery. The sun was flooding the whole store, just like it did with the apartment and when he stepped in he was greeted by a warm smile. Donghyuck was standing behind the counter again and it all gave Taeyong a déjà-vu of yesterday, but now the weather was beautiful and he wasn’t as distressed as he had been yesterday. The store wasn’t busy, only a few customers were dotted around the shop, all of them talking quietly with each other and the sluggish atmosphere wrapped itself around Taeyong like a blanket. He felt the need to stay here for hours, sip on coffee and just do nothing at all. "Hi", he greeted the boy. "Jaehyun told me to come here. Is he—" His question for Donghyuck got cut off by a, for the calm store, really loud shout: "Taeyong!" 

Jaehyun had appeared from the back and the smile he gave Taeyong made the sun from outside look pale and dull. "You are here", Jaehyun pinpointed and wiped his hands on a cloth he was holding.

"You said breakfast, of course I am here", the blonde man grinned, looking at Jaehyun, as if it wasn’t the most obvious thing in the world.

  
  


**__________________________________**

A week went by like this. Jaehyun always had to get up super early and Taeyong slept in. He had his lazy mornings in the apartment, three more times he went to the bakery to eat breakfast there. He befriended Jaehyun’s employee Donghyuck, a college student who helped out at the bakery when he had no lectures and he also got to know Jaehyun’s other employee, Yuta. But most importantly, he talked a lot to Jaehyun and he got shown the bakery. One time he even agreed to go with Jae in the morning, to open the store with him and he had regretted that he wasn’t an early bird and he had nearly fallen asleep on the counter while he watched Jaehyun bake bread and a raspberry cake for the day.

The two of them got close to each other, since they were almost spending everyday together. Taeyong loved it. It made him feel a little less lost. He liked wandering around on his own, but knowing he would return to someone he knew and was now comfortable with, gave him a feeling of security. He had created himself a little bubble, in the midst of this foreign city, something he had been afraid of not happening. 

And the flirting, the damn flirting. Jaehyun made it no secret, that he thought Taeyong was pretty. Not one day went by without a compliment from the baker or him gazing at Taeyong for a bit too long or little, edible gifts he brought from the bakery.

But Taeyong wasn’t sure how to react to that. He wasn’t sure if Jaehyun was up to something serious or if this was all just for fun, so Taeyong made no move and just enjoyed the attention he got.

But with all of that consuming his time and attention he had completely ignored what he actually came here for, creating art. So he started going on long walks through the city, his sketchbook with him. He settled down in different places and started drawing the scenery.

A few times he got surprised by sudden showers and he had to run for the life of his drawings. 

Most of the time he walked into the bakery, completely drenched, a wet sketchbook in his hand and the only thing that could cheer him up was the hot chocolates Jaehyun made for him.

When he visited the bakery to draw, he sketched out the people who came to the place and also the life outside the windows.

He was looking for the first scene he wanted to bring onto canvas, but until now, he had trouble seeing potential in all the sketches he did.

  
  


**__________________________________**

It was a Friday evening, almost two weeks since Taeyong moved in, he was huddled over his drawings from the day, trying his best to improve them and somehow make them work for him, but he hated it all. 

When he heard a key unlocking the apartment door, he yanked his head up, a pout forming on his face as Jaehyun stepped in. He had to hold back a laugh, when he saw Taeyong’s expression.

"I have something for you", Jaehyun dropped a brown bag on the table in front of the other.

Taeyong peeked inside. A cinnamon roll, still a bit warm and smelling like heaven. 

Jaehyun knew how frustrated Taeyong had gotten the last few days. When he had texted him earlier, asking if everything was alright and if he would be home later, Taeyong had answered:  _ Yeah, I _ ’ _ m home. Everything’s still shit :c _

So Jaehyun had packed something for his roommates’ mood to lighten up.

"Thank you", Taeyong was still pouting as he stuffed a piece of the food in his mouth.

"Now put that stuff away, if it only makes you sad and let’s cook something", Jaehyun pulled the book away from Tae and closed it.

Taeyong grunted and planted his head in his arms. 

"Is there any way I can help you with this art block?", the baker asked softly. 

"Nooooo, let’s just make dinner. I’m getting a headache from this stuff anyways", Taeyong whined and got up from his place.

"Maybe I should just stop trying, maybe being an artist is not for me", he mumbled and stuffed his drawing supplies into his bag "Maybe I’m too bad for this shit."

All of the sudden he found himself in a warm hug; Jaehyun had his arms wrapped around him, lightly pressing the blonde one to his chest: "Don’t say that. Your drawings are beautiful. Maybe you just have a really bad art-block."

Taeyong stiffened from the sudden physical contact. He could feel Jae’s chest vibrate as he spoke to him and tried to cheer him up. 

"Don’t give up just yet", now he rested his cheek against Taeyong’s hair.

Taeyong nearly started sobbing, the frustration that had built up in him came crashing down and he finally returned the hug. His arms sneaking around Jaehyun’s body, pressing himself against him, searching for solace.

He didn’t cry after all, he only let out a shaky breath: "I’m gonna try."

They didn’t let go for a while, just stayed like this, enjoying the comfort in each other’s arms. Taeyong had missed hugging people. 

At home, he had Ten and Doyoung.

But they weren’t in Paris.

When they finally let loose, Jaehyun pinched the smaller one’s cheek before turning around and pulling out the ingredients from the kitchen cabinets, so they could start making dinner. Taeyong gasped indignantly and held his cheek: "Don’t do that."

But he only got a deep chuckle from the baker.

Like magic, Taeyong’s mood had lifted. He smiled.  _ It would all be fine. Jaehyun was right, he couldn _ ’ _ t give up after only two weeks. _

The evening went on like this, they chatted a lot, ate the meal they had cooked and then Jaehyun opened a bottle of wine and after that it all turned into a blurry mess.

What better way to bond, than to get wasted together. Also it felt good to get completely distracted from his worries. 

Taeyong was stressed, he wanted to make art.

And it was not only a dream of his, he also needed to make art in order to hopefully earn money from it and use that money to pay the very small amount of rent and to have money in general.

But for the evening all of that was off of his mind.

  
  
  


All Taeyong still knew the next morning was that they had laughed so much, he had had trouble to breathe. 

Now the morning light was shining through the windows and woke him up on the couch. He had only a faint memory of how he had made it to bed. And it may or may not have included him nearly throwing up at one point and Jaehyun half carrying him, half dragging him to bed.

Taeyong heaved himself up from the couch. He had once again slept like in heaven, never in his life had he experienced a more comfortable couch.

He slowly started walking over to the bathroom, as quiet as possible, trying to not wake up Jaehyun, whose head he saw peeking up through the pile of blankets on his bed.

Arriving in the bathroom Taeyong stared at himself in the mirror. His blonde hair was as messy as if he had been struck by lightning and under his eyes were dark shadows. 

He quickly splashed his face with water and then he picked up his toothbrush to get rid of the unpleasant feeling in his mouth, from drinking too much. He lazily brushed his teeth when all of a sudden Jaehyun walked in through the open door. "Morning", he mumbled, his morning voice lower than his usual voice.

Taeyong, who was still standing in front of the mirror, nearly choked on the toothpaste in his mouth. 

But it was not due to the voice, but due to the fact that dear Jaehyun was only wearing long, thin pyjama bottoms, no shirt to be found. 

That was new. 

Taeyong tried so hard - so damn hard - to not stare at Jaehyun, who now leaned towards the sink, reaching for a creme.

He was so close it made Taeyong even more nervous.

He did not expect the bakery owner to be so ripped underneath the wide shirt he was usually wearing. Since when did one get abs from baking bread? 

Taeyong frantically tried to keep on brushing his teeth as he had his head lowered to the sink. 

But the temptation to give one more look was too alluring and when he raised his head he instantly met Jaehyun’s eyes in the mirror. A smug smile was plastered on his face, he knew exactly what he was doing to Taeyong right now. 

Tae furrowed his brows in an attempt to look cross, but it only ended in Jaehyun laughing at him: "You look cute." 

When Jaehyun tilted his head the blonde one started shifting uncomfortably. "Are you okay?", the baker asked teasingly, while still applying creme to his face. His eyes were now moving and Taeyong knew he was eyeing him up and down. 

As an answer Taeyong turned his head and threw Jaehyun a glance over his shoulder: "Everything good." 

After that he spit out his toothbrush and left the room, maybe a little too quickly. 

He could feel his heart hammering in his chest when he stood outside the bathroom. 

Jesus Christ, could Jaehyun stop looking at him so obviously for once?

He didn’t mind getting eye fucked, but not so often and maybe Jae could start acting on it, instead of only looking.

At this rate he would get a heart failure soon.

  
  


It was a Saturday, so it wasn’t bad that they both had slept longer, because Jaehyun had to go to the bakery a bit later than usual. On the weekends he never opened early, only around late lunch. His only free day of the week was Thursday as the bakery was closed that day. 

Taeyong was impressed by the others' hard work and he had told him that many times, but Jaehyun had only smiled at that: "That’s okay, I love the store and I love baking. Also my employees are my friends. So all in all it’s a really nice job to have, even if it requires a lot of time."

  
  
  


Today Taeyong and Jaehyun went to the bakery together. Yuta was already there to get the displays ready and turn the coffee machines on. Taeyong quickly got himself a little treat and then ventured out into the city, but not before waving goodbye to Jaehyun in the kitchen in the back, where he was baking a few loaves of bread.

Taeyong’s first stop was an art supplies shop that he had spotted a few days ago. He got himself a few different paints, brushes and a few small canvases.

With all of that he went and took the subway to sit by the Seine. 

That’s where he drew something, that he was satisfied with for the first time in weeks.

The sun was having a hard time peeking through the clouds and it was quite windy. There weren’t many people out and so Taeyong had concentrated more on the water and the rippling of little waves on the water surface.

Relieved he sighed, leaned back on the bench he had settled on and viewed his work for a moment, until a thick drop of water hit him. 

_ Not again _ , Taeyong screamed on the inside. By now he was fast with packing up his belongings and in a matter of seconds he was already running home, the sketchbook pressed against his chest.

  
  


When Tae opened the door to their apartment, Jaehyun looked up and gasped when he saw him. With a few big steps he was at his bed and pulled off his throw blanket to then wrap it around Taeyong, from whose hair strands the water was dripping to the floor, forming a puddle around him. Even his shoes were soaked through.

But Taeyong still had the biggest grin on his lips and proudly presented the brown-haired man with his work that magically had stayed mostly dry and safe. 

"Look, I think I’m satisfied with this", he announced.

Jaehyun inspected the drawing, Tae was holding with extended arms and a smile on his face that was so wide, he looked a bit mad. 

However the glimmering in his eyes made Jae crack a smile from his worried expression. He ruffled through Taeyong’s hair and pulled the blanket tightly around him: "Happy to hear that, Yong."

"But now you need to take a hot shower and get out of those clothes or you will catch a cold", he shoved the blonde one towards the bathroom and for a hot second Taeyong though the other was about to stay and make a comment about how he could join him in the shower, because Jaehyun lingered in the room for a moment and Taeyong’s mind went haywire and his cheeks inflamed in a pinkish panic with the thought.

But then Jaehyun only coughed, quickly walked out and closed the door behind him.

  
  


**__________________________________**

It was the following night that Taeyong decided to bake for Jaehyun.

With all the pastries Jae had gifted to him as a form of comfort in mind, he thought it would have something poetic to bake for the baker, who only ever made goods for others.

So the following day, when Jaehyun had left for work, Taeyong went to the kitchen.

He inspected the baking books Jaehyun had lined up on a shelf above the sink, but then he decided to look for a tutorial on YouTube, because he thought he could need the visual part for support.

He found an Oreo cake. How hard could that be? The video looked pretty easy.

  
  


Two hours later he was on the verge to open the window and throw the whole cake out. His hands were shaking as he tried to apply the topping in a somewhat good-looking pattern, so maybe it would distract from how much of a disaster this cake was.

Suddenly he heard the apartment door being opened and he panicked, the kitchen was a mess. Every centimeter covered in a thin layer of flour and not one bowl cleaned yet.

Jaehyun entered the place and froze on the spot.

The scenery in front of him had him speechless. First of all the messy kitchen, but also Taeyong in the middle of that mess, sleeves rolled up, shirt stained by various things and there was flour in his hair and on his cheeks. That combined with the look of pure despair in his eyes, made Jaehyun shake with laughter. 

His body bent over and he was holding his chest.

"W-what are you d-doing?", he panted once he could breathe again.

"Baking a cake", Taeyong grumbled. The topping dripped from the piping bag he was holding, onto the counter.

"But whyyyyy, I can make a cake, if you want one", a little desperate he clapped his hands together.

Taeyong’s cheeks turned red when he said: "I made this for you."

"For me? Oh but why? It’s not my birthday yet, Yong", Jaehyun furrowed his brows.

"I know, but…", Taeyong shifted uncomfortably "uh…I just wanted to make something for you. Just…because."

There was no way Taeyong could explain why he had baked for Jaehyun, without it getting embarrassing, so he just didn’t even try to explain it.

Jaehyun studied the others' features for a moment, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

"Just because", he glanced at the wonky cake in front of Taeyong, the layers unevenly stacked on each other, the frosting streaked with dough crumbs and the topping still not finished. Then he looked at the mess Taeyong himself was.

Tae obviously saw how the baker eyed his work. "I tried so hard to make it even, but it just wouldn’t work", he cried out and let his arms sink. He gloomily smacked the piping bag on the counter and was about to just give up, when Jaehyun smiled a soft smile: "You are so cute."

"You keep saying that, but this cake ain’t cute. I never tried to make one before and I don’t think I will ever try again", he grumbled.

As he took a step away from the disaster he created, Jaehyun hurried over and in the next second Taeyong found two arms being wrapped around him from behind. "Wait", Jaehyun said, now right next to his ear "Let me help you with the last bit."

Taeyong’s breath hitched, he had no control over it and he felt his heart beat in his throat.

Jaehyun’s long, delicate fingers intertwined themselves carefully with the fingers of the blonde one and Jae moved their hands to pick the piping bag back up.

His chin lightly rested on Taeyong’s right shoulder as he guided the tool over the cake. 

Taeyong was in no way capable of concentrating, his face dusted with a dark pink and his lips pressed together he paid more attention to how Jaehyun’s fingers pressed against his skin, then to what they were doing to the cake.

When Jaehyun was satisfied with the decoration he moved their hands, to put the piping bag down.

Taeyong expected him to let go of him now and was about to breathe a Thank you, however Jaehyun had something different in mind, he locked Taeyong in his arms. His hands still holding the others' hands.

"You did well, Yong. For a first try, it’s not bad", Taeyong could hear the smile in Jaehyun’s voice. He was telling white lies to him, but that didn’t matter in that moment.

"Thank you", the smaller one managed to answer. 

His heartbeat picked up even more speed when he felt Jaehyun’s nose touching his ear as he whispered: "You smell good."

Taeyong didn’t dare to turn his head fully, too intimidated by the other’s presence. He only tilted his head a bit until he could vaguely see Jaehyun from the corner of his eye: "And you are very warm." 

"It’s nice, I like it. I am cold anyways", he quickly added when he felt Jaehyun’s grip loosening.

"Well then…" Jae shifted a bit "Can’t let you freeze or you will catch a cold."

They stayed in their position for a while. Taeyong was sure Jaehyun could hear how fast his heart was beating. The light from outside started fading, making the shadows in the corners grow darker. 

"D-do you…uhm…do you wanna eat the cake?", Taeyong broke the silence after what felt like a little infinity. Jaehyun had closed his eyes, his head still resting against Taeyong. 

When the blonde man turned his head to see Jaehyun’s reaction, his lips almost brushed against the baker's cheek. And all of a sudden he thought about giving the soft skin a kiss. He already got ready to lean his head closer, when Jaehyun sighed and let go of him. "Yeah, let’s eat the cake", he agreed and turned around to get some plates from the cupboard. 

Now Taeyong’s back was weirdly cold and he missed the others' presence, wishing it would return.

From that moment on, Jaehyun wouldn’t leave his mind. It didn’t help that they were around each other so much.

  
  


**__________________________________**

Two days later Taeyong was at the bakery, as he was almost every day. 

And he was drawing, as he did every day.

Just letting his pencil hover over the paper as it made lines, creating something, his mind somewhere else.

He really didn’t realize what he was drawing until he zoomed back in.

A pair of lips.

The bottom lip plump, emphasised with strong, thick strokes and the upper lip beautifully curved.

He instinctively knew those were the lips of a certain baker, who made a cup of coffee behind the counter right now.

It was as if he felt Taeyong’s eyes on him, he looked up, right into the others face from across the room and smiled a tiny smile. 

And that was the moment Taeyong knew something was happening to him and he knew he really wanted to kiss those lips.

The following days the lips were joined by a pair of pretty, sparkly eyes, a cute round nose, soft dimples, strong, thick eyebrows, round, soft cheeks and fluff, wavy hair. And all of a sudden Taeyong was working on a portrait of Jaehyun.

The worst thing? Jaehyun saw.

Taeyong was afraid it would be obvious from the drawing and from how much work and love he had put into it. Was afraid that his crush would be obvious.

However, while Taeyong was embarrassed, Jaehyun loved it. He asked if he could frame it and hang it up in the bakery. 

To which Taeyong shyly nodded. He actually wanted to keep the drawing for himself, but he couldn’t say no to Jaehyun.

And then there was Donghyuck complaining, that he wanted a drawing of himself too.

Though before Tae could agree to draw him too, Jaehyun said: "No, Hyuck. Taeyong only draws me."

Donghyuck walked away with a pout and Jaehyun winked at Taeyong, before he followed the younger one back to work.

Leaving a dumbfounded Taeyong at his table.

  
  
  


The next day Taeyong decided to pack his bag and go on a little tour by himself. He wanted to get his mind somewhere else, out of the daily grind. He thought about visiting all the famous spots in Paris, that he hadn’t seen yet. Like Sacre-Coeur or Arc de Triomphe. 

It was a gloomy day and the sun was hidden behind thick, puffy clouds when he left home at the same time as Jaehyun, but today they went separate ways.

While Taeyong enjoyed the view from the steps in front of the Sacre-Coeur, which was located on the highest hill in Paris and offered a beautiful view over the city, Jaehyun had a busy day at the bakery. A few of his regular customers visited and he baked two cakes and a few smaller pieces.

From time to time he caught himself looking at the table that Taeyong usually liked to sit at, only to be disappointed to not see the other there. 

There was a certain sadness coming with that and he didn’t like it.

Yuta realized his state and started bugging him about how his  _ "sad puppy eyes" _ were looking for his  _ "cutie pie who ditched him today".  _ Jaehyun nudged him, only to turn around and find Donghyuck laughing at him.

  
  
  


When Jaehyun came home that day, the apartment was empty. No music coming from the speakers, no Taeyong lounging around. It was unusual. Normally Taeyong would be here, waiting for him. Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrow as he checked the coat rack to see that the other’s favourite jacket was missing. He probably was still out on his tour.

Jaehyun resisted the urge to call the blonde man. Tae was most probably fine and he didn’t want to seem too obtrusive. 

However three hours later Taeyong was still not back. Jae shifted uncomfortably in his armchair, trying to concentrate on his book. 

He couldn’t take it any longer. The fact that he didn’t even get a text message from the other made him feel uneasy and so he picked up his phone and quickly called Tae’s number before he could decide against it again.

It rang and rang. Just when Jaehyun was about to hang up again, the line made a noise and a voice that was unmistakably Taeyong’s asked:  _ "Yah?" _

"Taeyong, are you okay? I just wanted to check on you."

_ "Jaehyunniiiiiiiiie",  _ Taeyong purred.    
In the back was a lot of noise, voices talking and music playing. Tae sounded different than normal, weirdly sleepy.

"Are you drunk?", Jaehyun chuckled.

_ "Maybe just a little bit" _ , came from the other end.

"Okay okay, well uh, have fun and uh…call me if you need anything."

_ "Jaehyunnie wait, can you pick me up? Please." _

Jaehyun rose to his feet: "Of course. Where are you?"

_ "Hey, heeeeey" _ , Taeyong was now shouting at someone else  _ "What is this place called?" _

"Yong just…just send me your location, yeah?"

  
  
  


Half an hour later Jaehyun entered the little bar, which he had gotten sent by Taeyong.

He spotted the blonde man from far, sitting at the bar and a glass in his hand.

"I’m here", Jaehyun announced himself.

Taeyong twirled around on his stool, almost losing balance.

"Jaehyunnie, come, sit down. Have a drink with me", he patted on the place next to him.

His eyes were glassy, his cheeks pinkish and he slurred his speech a little - he was drunk.

Jae followed his wish and sat down. He leaned a little towards the smaller one: "Don’t you think it’s time to go home, mh?"

"But I like it here. Let’s stay a little longer."

The bar was a bit rundown, not one of those trendy bars that had a lot of cool lighting and glass furniture, this one was only dimly lit and the counter was made out of old wood. It would’ve been cozy but the smell of cigarettes was hanging in the air and Jaehyun didn’t really like that.

Taeyong shoved a glass to him, from which Jaehyun took a sip. He liked some alcoholic drinks, but this was whiskey and he had to hold himself back to spit it out. He preferred whine over other alcohol and the burning liquid ran down his throat, making him cough slightly.

Taeyong giggled: "Too strong?"

"Yeah, not gonna lie", a wonky smile formed on Jae’s lips. "Do you want to leave now? You look tired, Yong", he tried a second time. 

Taeyong rested his head on his hands and pursed his lips: "You know, I’m so glad I’m your roommate, you take care of me so well. That I visited your bakery that day was such a weird, perfect coincidence."

He dreamily gazed at the brown haired man

Jaehyun gulped, there was a confession he had to make.

Something he wanted to tell Taeyong for days. But he was afraid to sound like a creep and to scare Tae away.

Taeyong observed the other’s features. In his drunken state he was not embarrassed to stare as much at the other as he wanted to.

He leaned against Jae’s shoulder, his head felt heavy.

And then Jaehyun said something that made his stomach jump: "Don’t freak out, but…uh. You know, I was actually not looking for a roommate. I just wanted to help you, because I overheard you on the phone that day. To be honest I only wanted to ask you for your number when you were about to leave, but Donghyuck, that little devil, was faster." Taeyong, who still had his cheek squished against Jaehyun's arm, now sat up straight. He cutely tilted his head: "Really?" 

Usually Jaehyun's ears would turn red in a situation like this, but right now it all felt so natural, he felt so comfortable with Taeyong, that he only softly smiled: "Yeah, because you are so cute."

It wasn’t the first time Jaehyun told him, he was cute but just like Jaehyun, Taeyong felt different this evening. With all the tension that had built up since they got to know each other and with all the flirting, something in Taeyong finally snapped.

He slowly started leaning forward, his view no longer focused on the others' eyes. "Are you okay?", Jae grabbed his shoulders, mistakenly thinking the blonde one was about to fall out of his chair and faint because of the amount of drinks he had had. But Taeyong stretched and the next thing Jaehyun knew was a warm pair of lips being pressed on his own. 

Taeyong kissed him. With his eyes closed, his hands resting on Jaehyun’s knees, pushing himself up.

For a few seconds Jaehyun enjoyed the feeling, but then he gently shoved Taeyong, who he was still holding by the shoulders, a bit away from him: "This is a bad idea, Yong."

The blonde one stared at him in shock, his wide, round eyes hazed from the alcohol. "Oh god, I’m sorry. Sorry, so sorry. Won’t do it again", the smaller one mumbled, distancing himself from Jaehyun even more. 

"Let’s go home, okay?", the baker said, eyeing the drunken man in front of him. "We can talk about this tomorrow", he promised.

"We don’t have to do that. Never talking about it again, sounds better", Taeyong muttered. He heaved himself off of the bar chair and nearly fell over in the process. It was only for Jaehyun, who quickly caught him, that he didn’t get the chance to see the floor up close. 

  
  


_ "Be careful, Yong." _

_ "Should I carry you?" _

_ "Watch out for the step!" _

_ "I got you okay? I got you." _

All those sentences were flooding around in Taeyong’s mind on their way home. It was Jaehyun’s voice, but Tae was so disorientated, he had no perception of his surroundings. 

He felt how he landed on something soft and fluffy, before he completely passed out.

  
  


**__________________________________**

The minute Taeyong woke up, some of his memories from last night came flooding back. He stared at the ceiling for a second and then turned around and slammed his head into his pillow. 

He almost screamed in embarrassment.

He did not kiss Jaehyun, right?

He DIDN’T.

Not possible.

At that exact same moment he heard the bakers voice, making him flinch: "Ah you are awake."

Taeyong heard rustling and when he had the courage to lift his head from his pillow, Jaehyun was crouched down beside the couch (aka Taeyong’s bed).

"How is your head doing? Does it hurt?", he opened his hand and revealed a little pill.

"I have painkillers for you."

Tae realized that his head was indeed pounding, so he nodded, lips pressed together, avoiding to look into the others eyes. He mumbled a small "Thank you" and picked the pill from Jaehyun's hand.

"Wait you need water, I’m gonna get you some", the baker stood up and walked over into the kitchen.

Taeyong brought himself to stand up and followed on wobbly legs.

He crawled on one of the kitchen chairs and sleepily blinked a few times. He was still waking up from his deep slumber.

"I did not go to the bakery today. I asked Yuta to open and take care of it. Thought it would be better to stay and make sure you are okay. You got really wasted yesterday", Jae explained as he got a glass from the cupboard.

He stepped over to the sink to fill it with water.

His back to Taeyong he said: "So about the kiss."

The blonde one nearly fell out of his chair. He stared at the other in horror and then slapped his hands in front of his face, his cheeks heating up.

"I thought we agreed to not talk about it again. I’m really sorry it happened. I felt you didn’t like it, I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable", he whined.

Fast steps over to where Tae was sitting.

Then two hands, gently grabbing his wrists, pulling his arms down.

Jaehyun was kneeling in front of him again: "Listen."

The blonde one bashfully eyed the floor.

"Yong, look at me and listen."

Tae took all his courage and glanced up. Beautiful brown eyes right in front of him.

"My problem with last night was not the kiss. It was the situation. You were so drunk, it felt wrong as a first kiss. Actually", now Jaehyun started stammering "I-i actually mhhhh…wanted to ask you out on a proper date since last week, but I…didn’t know how. I think a date would be really nice. W-what do you think about that?" Now it was to the baker to show some colour, his ears were tinted in a deep pink. 

Taeyongs mouth fell open: "Wait seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously", Jaehyun smiled.

His fingers still around the others wrists, he started circling his thumb over the soft skin on the inside of Taeyongs wrist, caressing the spots. 

"O-okay", Tae breathed and instantly heard a sigh of relief from Jaehyun.

Both of them felt a tingling in the stomach, while they grinned at each other.

  
  
  


When Jaehyun went to the bathroom for a while, leaving Taeyong to himself, he quickly pulled out his phone. He needed to call Ten.

Ten’s reaction was gold, as always. He squeaked when Taeyong told him all the things that had happened.

"And now we are going out next week when he has his day off and the bakery is closed. And I am already nervous, hah", Taeyong told his best friend.

_ "You sound so in love already, oh my god. I told you to get yourself a boyfriend!" _ Ten sounded satisfied with himself.

  
  


**__________________________________**

The day of the date Taeyong took his time to get ready. He was nervous. Even though it wasn’t a blind date, it was Jaehyun. Only Jaehyun. He for sure would be less stressed, if he wouldn’t have the biggest crush on the baker. 

When the doorbell rang Taeyong was just thinking about what shoes to wear.

He opened the door to reveal Jaehyun. He must’ve snuck out of the apartment to put up this act of picking up Taeyong as if they weren’t living together.

He was wearing a white knitted sweater tucked into his black, tight pants in the front, paired with black boots and a silver watch. Nothing too special, but on him it looked breathtaking.

He looked Taeyong up and down. Tae had thought about going all out outfit-wise, but then he realized for their plans it wouldn’t be appropriate. So he put on a grey shirt, with really lightly washed out jeans, that were loosely fitted on his legs and had big holes in them, white sneakers and one of his favourite jackets on top, that was black and slightly see-through. 

"Hey you", he greeted the baker.

"Hey to you too. Ready?", Jaehyun offered him his hand and that was the first of many times that Taeyongs heart made a jump that day. 

He took the hand, their fingers intertwining instantly. Comfortably finding their position.

  
  
  


Jaehyun had planned all of this and had only given Taeyong a few hints about what they would be doing.

When they stepped out of the subway station, Taeyong could see the Eiffel Tower peaking in between the buildings. It was so corny, but also so Paris. While others might’ve asked for a more original idea, this was perfect for Taeyong and Jaehyun knew that. He knew Taeyong liked the sweet, romantic things, as if it was all covered in a coat of sugar and one would look at it through pink, heart-shaped glasses. He knew Taeyong liked things that seemed like they jumped out of one of those typical romance movies.

So they had cheap wine and chocolate strawberries on the large lawn right in front of the Eiffel Tower.

The wine had not too much percentage, so they wouldn’t get drunk.

They sat on a blanket, Taeyong had his head pillowed on Jaehyun’s lap. And to top it all off, they fed each other the strawberries, which gave them kicks of laughter from time to time, because it was really THAT corny. However it was also heaven.

And there was this tension between them. Flirty comments, that were made without any shame from both of them and the gaze they gave each other was even more intense than usual. 

Taeyong couldn’t stop telling Jaehyun how pretty he looked particularly today. He felt like he didn’t do that enough. 

Jaehyun, who was pretty good at making compliments, but not so good at taking them, especially when they came from Taeyong, stuffed the blonde ones’ mouth with strawberries to silence him, while he smiled a shy smile.

When all the fruits were eaten and they had taken cute pictures in front of the tourist attraction - they even asked an older couple to take some photos of them - they packed their things up and left the place. 

Next they took a stroll along the Seine, hands intertwined again. 

A warm feeling had started bubbling in Taeyongs’ stomach, a pleasant sensation.

When they reached the Alexander bridge they turned to walk over it. There were lanterns dotted along the bridge, that now lit up one after the next, since evening settled in.

The bridge was palatial decorated with gold and stucco.

Taeyong supported himself with both hands on the stone railing of the bridge as he took in the view. 

The sun had set already and the Seine’s water now looked darker, almost black, as the lights of the buildings that were seaming the side of the river reflected on the water surface. It was a beautiful view, something that should’ve been captured with a camera. 

But before Taeyong could pull out his phone he gently got pulled away from the railing. He looked up at Jaehyun, questioning if he wanted to go somewhere else or if something was wrong. Both their hair got ruffled by the wind that swept across the Seine. For a moment neither of them moved, mesmerized by each other's presence. 

But then Jaehyun raised his hand, carefully placing it on Taeyong’s cheek, his thumbs lightly brushing over the corner of Tae’s mouth. And before Taeyong knew what was happening, Jaehyun leaned in. His lips on his own lips were almost as gentle as his fingers that were still resting on Taeyong’s face. He tilted his head, moving his mouth a little more, as if asking  _ Yes? _

Taeyong only needed a moment to process what was happening and then answered a silent  _ Yes  _ as he wrapped his arms around the brown haired man.

Taeyong didn’t remember much from their kiss in the bar. They also had decided to not count that as a first kiss. But he could somehow remember how good kissing Jaehyun had been. 

Well in a sober state it was even better. 

Intoxicating and dazzling. 

Both of their minds went blank as they drowned in each other.

Taking up as much as they could.

Jaehyun held Taeyong by the waist, his fingers slightly digging into the smaller one’s sides. 

Taeyong had his hands buried on Jae’s nape, making sure to keep him close.

Time passed by and all of a sudden Jaehyun pulled away, Taeyong chasing after his lips. But Jaehyun eyed his watch: "Yong we really need to get going. The movie starts soon."

Taeyong hummed, a bit disappointed. Eventually they started walking again. Lips pinkish and a big smile on them. 

Jaehyun had chosen a romcom. Nothing too thrilling, so the two men could concentrate on either exchanging kisses in the dark last row or joking about the storyline. 

In the end it only turned into a make-out session. Now that they had started once, they couldn’t leave the hands off of each other.

  
  


That night was also the first night Taeyong slept in Jaehyun's bed. He walked up to where the others bed was and then proceeded to stand at the end of the mattress, until Jaehyun, who had been on his phone, realized it. 

Immediately he opened his arms - an invitation for Taeyong.

Quickly he crawled into the soft cloud that the bed was and snuggled himself against the brown haired man. 

Sleeping cuddled up against Jaehyun gave Taeyong the best night rest in weeks.

The bed was also more comfortable than the couch.

That’s why Taeyong now turned his way up the steps onto the platform, every evening, so he could fall asleep in Jaehyun’s arms.

  
  


**__________________________________**

Maybe it was the city or maybe it was the other’s aura, but falling for Jaehyun was so easy. Scarily easy.

Taeyong knew the saying "Falling in love is like falling asleep". However he had never believed it before, had never imagined it was true. But with each day passing, with each touch and with each kiss he fell deeper and deeper. And with each word his heart grew a little and made more and more room for the baker.

One evening it got so overwhelming, he started crying when they went to sleep and Jaehyun pulled him in his arms, as he did every night. 

He held his head with one hand and rubbed soothing circles on Taeyong’s back with the other hand, as the smaller one sobbed against his chest. 

It was the way Jaehyun held him carefully, asking once if he was okay and then just letting him cry it all out until Jae’s shirt had a big wet patch from the salty tears. But he didn’t even complain about it, he only pressed a kiss on Taeyong’s forehead.

It was the way Jaehyun hummed a soothing melody to calm Taeyong down.

It was the way Jaehyun wiped his tears away with one hand.

It was all of that, that Taeyong couldn’t stop crying for a while.

When he finally breathed in and looked up at Jaehyun and in his face, that was overshadowed with worry, Taeyong’s voice was quavering: "M just h-happy. So happy."

Jaehyun flinched, he had expected for Taeyong to cry, because he was concerned or stressed about something or maybe because he missed home, but not this.

So he flinched because Taeyong’s words touched his heart, deeper than he had seen it coming and now it was on him to nearly shed a tear. His dimples showed themselves when he pressed his lips together.

He raked his fingers through Taeyong’s blonde hair and whispered "Oh baby" with a breathy voice.

Taeyong puffed his cheeks, pursed his lips and stole himself a small kiss. A peck, not more.

Falling asleep and falling in love.

Both happens unknowingly, you can’t force yourself to do so, it just happens unintentionally. 

However, even when you fall asleep deeply, you wake up after some time. 

But Taeyong didn’t want to wake up. Not wake up and fall out of love. All he wanted was to stay like this with Jaehyun until the end of time.

  
  


**__________________________________**

Jaehyun was stretched out on the carpet, the sunlight from the window was hitting his skin.

Taeyong sighed as Jae threw him a coy wink: "How do you want me?"

He stretched his legs and propped up his head on his right arm: "Do you want to draw me like one of your french boys?"

"When I asked you, if I could draw you, I knew you would say that at one point", Taeyong snickered. 

He kneeled down beside the baker, his hands gently pulling him in a sitting position.

He carefully repositioned Jaehyun: "I’m just trying something, change your position if you don’t feel comfortable. The light just hits in the most beautiful, when you lay this way."

  
  


The following half an hour the only sound in the apartment was one of Taeyong’s pencil scraping over the paper of his sketchbook. 

Jaehyun had his right leg stretched out, the left one bent and pulled up. His right arm supported his upper body and he leaned a bit forward, his face turned to the floor and his other arm raised to his eyes, as if shielding them from the sunlight, that was still pouring in. 

It was about to be sunset and Jaehyun was shaking a bit from the effort to keep his position still enough for Tae.

It was such a beautiful picture in front of him, the blonde man couldn’t stop adding details to his drawing. 

The golden light of the evening sun was pouring over Jaehyun’s body like honey, tinting it in a warm tone. Emphasizing every single bump of his skin, highlighting his beauty even more.

The way the shorts allowed the muscles on his legs to be shown and the top revealed his defined arm muscles. And that was not all, the veins under his skin were more prominent than ever and his hair fell in soft waves into his face.

It was a sight for the gods. Jaehyun didn’t look real. He looked like a statue, every centimeter of him formed to perfection.

Taeyong made a few last strokes, defining Jaehyun’s shoulders a bit more, before he put down the sketchbook. He knew the sun was about to vanish behind the horizon, but before that could happen, he pulled out his phone and quickly made a photo of the scene. 

"I’m done", his voice sounded a bit hoarse after not talking for a while. Instantly Jaehyun collapsed, spreading out his body on the floor and groaned. "I don’t know if I can pose for you to draw again, that was so exhausting. At one point I thought my arm would fall off", he had his eyes closed, enjoying the final rest for his muscles. 

"Mhh, maybe next time an easier pose? I’m sorry I put you through this", Taeyong apologized.

"Yeah maybe", Jaehyun sighed, he knew he wouldn’t be able to say no to Taeyong.

"Also", Taeyong got on his knees and crawled over to the other man "I always wanted to do an act-drawing." He mumbled as he nestled himself against Jaehyun, with his head on the other's chest. 

"Act-drawing? Is that the o-one where…" Jae stumbled upon his words.

"The one where the model gets completely naked and poses, yah", Taeyong smirked as he bit his lip. "But of course only if you feel comfortable enough to do that", he turned his head to see Jaehyun’s face, since the brown haired man wasn’t answering him. 

What he saw had him chuckling, Jaehyun’s ears were flaming red, but there was no panic on his face, only wide wonder. 

He grabbed Taeyong face with one hand, squishing his cheeks together and struggled a bit to come up for a kiss. "Stop laughing at me", he growled while Taeyong was shaken with laughter. 

"You don’t have to be embarrassed about that. It’s gonna be beautiful and very classy, I promise you. Trust me", Taeyong grinned.

"I do trust you", Jaehyun suddenly sounded a lot more serious.

That evening Taeyong drew the second portrait of Jaehyun, as he was sitting in his armchair, reading a book.

But this portrait he kept to himself.

  
  


**__________________________________**

The light flooding in through the window tinted the whole room in a warm tone. It hit the floor, mirrored in the glasses on the shelf and painted their skin golden. Taeyong had his head pillowed on Jaehyuns arm, his blonde hair hanging in messy strands. His eyes closed from pleasure, the light falling directly on his face making it glow.

Jaehyun had both of his arms wrapped around the smaller one, as he slowly thrust into him. Each time he found the right spot Taeyong let out a little whimper. 

They were lying close together, Jaehyun pressing Tae’s back to his chest, his face buried in the crock of Tae’s neck. He blew the blonde locks away, to be able to place his lips all over the soft skin. He whispers were sweet little nothings between his kisses, praises and displays of affection. All of which barely reached Taeyong’s mind through the haze of pleasure.    
Never before had he had sex like this, slow, so so slow and sensual.

  
The beginning had been like he knew it. Rough and fast and filled with desire and lust. Not much thinking, just acting and reacting to one another.

As soon as they had been back from their second official date, they had started kissing, which had quickly turned into Jaehyun helping him out of his shirt and a minute later their pants were gone.

Jaehyun had picked him up, practically throwing him onto the mattress. 

With his bare back exposed to Jaehyun, Taeyong had waited for the other to follow him into the soft heaven. But the brown haired man had taken his time, so long Taeyong had been thinking he had run to the bathroom or something. 

But then he had felt the mattress sinking down as Jaehyun had crawled on top of him. Two arms had lowered themselves on each side of his waist, followed by a pair of lips, gently placed on his spine, right between his shoulder blades. 

The kisses had made a wet trail up his back, over his neck all the way to the sensitive spot behind his ear, making Taeyong shiver. He had turned around, to look at Jaehyun, to somehow see what had caused this sudden slowdown of events, only to find his mouth to be captured in a deep kiss. 

It had been as if somebody had put time on half the speed, all the urgency in Jaehyun’s kisses had vanished, leaving only sweet bliss. 

The taller one had melted against him, his body clinging itself to Taeyong. Melted all over him, caressed each centimeter of his skin until Taeyong had felt as if on fire. But not an inferno, more like hot glimmering coal. What had been a roaring inferno a few minutes ago, had turned into swelling embers. Jaehyuns lips and his tongue had drawn patterns all over him, exploring his skin, until Taeyong was mewling. Hazily he reached for Jaehyuns face, bringing it back to his own, reconnecting their lips for a kiss. Their lips almost fused together. Jaehyun’s tongue licking over the others’ bottom lip, requesting access, to which Taeyong had moaned quietly and then had willingly parted his lips.

  
  


Without words, they had found their new position.

Taeyong resting against Jaehyun.

They were familiar with this, had laid like this a bunch of times when they went to sleep, but right now it was obviously different.

There was no fabric between them, nothing to keep them from being as close as two humans possibly could get.

If Taeyong would’ve opened his eyes, he would’ve had a great view out of the big arched window, that they were laying in front of, but he was too occupied by Jae, who left a trail of wet kisses on his neck, over to the spot behind his ear and further to the back of his neck.

Jaehyuns hand stroked over Taeyong’s side, lingering a bit on the dip of his hip, until he wrapped one arm around Taes’ stomach. Pulling him to his chest, into a tight hug. 

He snuggled himself against the blonde man, enjoying the feeling of their skins, fully exposed against each other. 

The simple touch of his back resting against Jaehyun's chest, sent a shiver down Taeyong’s spine.

He was shaking with anticipation. 

5 minutes later he knew, Jaehyun liked it slow. Really slow. Almost head spinning slow. 

They had barely spoken a word until this point, but now Taeyong whimpered: "Jaehyunnie." 

A breathless sob.

"This is torture." 

Jaehyun cracked a smile: "I know." His voice was deeper than normal, his eyes glistening with something unspeakable. He knew what he was doing to the other man.

He grabbed Taeyong’s jaw, making the smaller one look at him. "Sex is a relish, we need to savour it, as long as possible, not run through it", he mumbled. Pressing a kiss on the sharp jaw in his hand. That stunning line, that could possibly cut glass. 

"What do you mean  _ as long as possible _ ?" Tae’s eyes grew a little bigger, only to be squeezed together directly after, pleasure hitting him once again. The feeling of Jaehyun gliding in and out of him was too overwhelming.

"You’ll see", Jaehyun chuckled before he leaned in for another kiss.

And it did go on. It went on so long that Taeyong was a whimpering and moaning mess by the end, not able to take the edging any longer.

He couldn’t remember the last time release had felt so good. 

Jaehyun kissed him through his high, making sure all of Taeyong’s senses were overflowing. Taking care of him.

Jae himself didn’t take too long after that, as well. His hips stuttering, he choked on his breath, his vision got blurry for a moment. He pressed his nose into Taeyong’s nape, uncontrollable moans spilling from his lips, while Taeyong just enjoyed the feeling and the sounds coming from the brown haired men.

It only took the blonde one a short amount of time to knock out after. His body was exhausted and a bit sore.

His head fell to the side, with a happy sigh and he dozed off. 

Other than Jaehyun who stayed awake. 

He looked at the sleeping man beside him and carefully brushed a strand of hair out of Taeyong’s face, studying his features. The blonde one always looked like the most beautiful human on this planet, but when he was sleeping he looked even more innocent, his features smooth and mouth hanging a bit open, soft sleeping sounds coming from it. 

Jaehyun couldn’t hold back the smile that was creeping on his lips again and he also couldn’t fight the urge to place a featherlight kiss on the bridge of Taeyong’s nose.

  
  


**__________________________________**

A week later Taeyong barged into the bakery a wide smile on his face.

"Hi, Yuta, where is Jaehyun", he excitedly bounced up and down on the spot.

"He’s in the back, in the kitchen making something. Everything okay?", the man with the dark red hair behind the counter asked.

"Yes, Yuta, everything is good, amazing actually!", he exclaimed at Jaehyun’s employee as he rushed past him, towards the kitchen.

There he found Jaehyun. He darted over to him, waving a piece of paper in his hand.

Jaehyun was able to react quick enough to catch the blonde one in his arms, before he ran past him, against the oven.

"Are you okay? Everything alright?", Jaehyun sounded as concerned as Yuta. It wasn’t usual that Taeyong was so beside himself, his eyes were big and he was panting.

"I ran…all the way…from home", Taeyong gasped for air.

He shoved the paper against Jaehyun’s chest.

"I sold one. I sold a—" he bent forward, his hands on his knees, still fighting for air "sold a painting. One of the ones I made of you."

He grinned and there were tears glistening in his eyes: "Finally." 

"Yong!", Jaehyun exclaimed.

Now he felt adrenaline rushing through his body as well. 

Without hesitation, he grabbed Taeyong, picked him up and spun him around.

Taeyong laughed: "I cannot believe it."

When Jaehyun let him down he caressed his face: "I'm so proud of you."

"Jaehyun, it gets better! There is an agent that wants to meet me and talk to me about my paintings and I think he mentioned an art exhibition", Taeyong was shaken by the bare thought of it. 

"Oh my god", Jaehyun’s mouth fell open.

"I know", Taeyong giggled.

There was finally a glimpse of his dream showing on the horizon.

  
  
  


Later that day Taeyong sat on his favourite spot in the bakery, the corner by the window. From there he could watch out onto the street but also he was close to the counter for either food or talking to Jaehyun, Hyuck or Yuta.

He was huddled over his most recent sketch, finalizing the details, when a voice made him look up. "That is a really beautiful drawing of you, Jaehyun", an old lady was standing in front of the portrait Taeyong had drawn of Jaehyun what felt like years ago. 

Jaehyun stood behind the woman, she was a regular customer and visited a lot. Jaehyun had a proud smile on his face: "Right? I love it too. Taeyong drew it for me." Now he pointed over to where the blonde one was sitting. The old woman turned her head and Taeyong gave her a little wave.

She turned back to Jaehyun: "That is really nice of him. A good friend you have there."

"Actually", Jaehyun glanced at Tae "he’s my boyfriend."

The lady saw the look the two men gave each other and started giggling: "Young love."

When the old woman left, Jaehyun walked over to Taeyongs’ table. He peeked over his shoulder, to see what he was drawing.

And started coughing.

"Okay, but you cannot sell that!", he squeaked.

The piece were one of those that Taeyong had made when they were lazily laying around after hours of sex and chatting and watching something on the tv and maybe more sex. 

So the drawing showed a naked Jaehyun, a piercing gaze directed at Taeyong.

In the picture, Jae was laying on his stomach, so his nakedness was mostly covered, and it wouldn't be too scandalous to be sold and put up when it was done. But Taeyong had no intention to do so.

"No, don’t worry. That is for my personal collection. I will hang the pieces from that collection up all over the apartment though, so your friends can’t come over anymore", Taeyong teased his boyfriend. 

Jaehyun nudged him and then dived down to steal a kiss and then whisper: "Hide it from my customers and especially from Hyuck and Yuta."

"Maybe I will", Taeyong pursed his lips and got a second kiss.

"I love you. I’m going back to work, those eclairs you asked for don’t make themselves", Jaehyun grinned.

"I love you too", Taeyong breathed and pulled Jaehyun down by the nape for a third kiss, before he let him return to work.

  
  


**__________________________________**

Taeyong had never believed in fate before Paris. He also had been troubled to believe in an all-consuming love. 

But maybe it had been fate that his apartment had fallen through and he had chosen this exact door to walk through, to find shelter from the rain. 

He missed his old home a bit, of course he did. His friends were still there and all those memories he made. But now he was in Paris, his new home.

Taeyong looked up from his coffee and his eyes met a beautiful pair of dark brown irises. 

Whatever fade had in store for them, until now it had been pretty generous.

It had given Taeyong love and a beautiful young man to call his partner.

And also free access to pastries, from his favourite baker.

**Author's Note:**

> My first time ever writing for a ficfest and I’m so happy it’s the Jaeyong one <3  
> Special thanks to the person that submitted this prompt (I hope you like how it turned out <3)! I just love the whole idea and it made me feel so comfy writing it.  
> Also thanks to my friends who did the beta reading for me <3 absolute life saviours and also a big thank you to the admins who manage the whole ficfest. I cant wait to read all the other works done for this. 
> 
> I hope everyone who read this enjoyed it and got the same snug feeling I had writing it ^^


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